For blood collection, blood transfusion, and infusion, a needle for medical applications is known, which is connected to and used together with a blood collecting device, a blood transfusion set, an infusion set, or the like for a blood bag, or a blood processing circuit (such as a blood component collection circuit or a hemodialysis circuit). The needle after having been used is preferably covered with such a protector, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-140110 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,086 B1, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0141904 A1), in order to prevent the needle from being touched inadvertently. In accordance with such a protector as just described, it is possible to tilt a shield in order to cover the needle, whereby the needle, after use thereof, can be prevented from being touched inadvertently.
Incidentally, in the protector disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-140110 mentioned above, three sides of the needle can be covered. However, the remaining one side face of the needle is left almost open, and there is the possibility for blood that sticks to the needle to possibly leak out from the opening.